


Soul Ink

by Kendrickhier



Series: Inked on Our Hearts [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Canon Divergence, Crack, F/F, Fluff, Kara Danvers appearance, Non appearance, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-05-04
Packaged: 2020-02-25 22:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18711142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kendrickhier/pseuds/Kendrickhier
Summary: Soulmate AU, in which soulmates share the ink on their skin. Astra thought she didn't have a soulmate and would never get one, until she uses her arm for something else and discovers Alex on the other end of the connection.





	Soul Ink

Alex is 19 years old, nose-deep in her study books, when her eye catches on thin blue lines appearing on her arm. She gasps, pushing her chair back, staring at the symbols with equal parts awe and shock.

She has a soulmate.

Not that she ever expected otherwise, she hadn’t been worried in the slightest. Soulmate connections are usually forged during puberty for the youngest of the couple, which can leave some people without a soulmate for a relatively long time. By now the majority of her peers have had their connections formed and gotten involved with their mates, but she certainly hadn’t been the only one without hers, which she assumed was because her soulmate would be younger.

By that logic, at first she thinks they are doodles on her arm. They’re not any letters she recognizes with any immediacy, until the hasty scribble starts to ring a bell. She’s seen those symbols before, in quickly hidden pages of her sister’s journal: Kryptonese writing.

Once no new lines appear, Alex swiftly takes a picture with her old flip phone, as well as several close-ups, just in case the original is too grainy to be legible. She then shoots Kara a text; this isn’t something she can decipher on her own, it might be important.

Kara, to her credit, was there as quickly as the buses would take her. And indeed, the message was _very_ important.

For her soulmate, that is.

“Okay, so this translates to hot…” Kara wasn’t able to finish her sentence before she bursts out laughing, much to Alex’s chagrin.

“What? What does it say?”

It takes a couple of seconds for her sister to recompose herself enough to answer, seconds that took much too long to Alex. “It literally translates to hot pockets,” Kara manages, still stifling her laughter. “The rest are food items as well. It’s a grocery list.”

“But what does it _mean_?” Alex insists – obsesses, really – tracing the symbols as if they could give her any insight as to what her soulmate’s intentions are. “Is this a sign to reach out? Should I respond? Do they think I’m _dead_? They know Kryptonese, Kara, they probably think I’m dead! What if my response gives them a heart attack, and _I’m_ the one with a dead soulmate? What if-”

“Hey, hey, breathe.” Firm hands on her shoulders bring her back to reality, Kara looking to make eye contact. “They’re Kryptonian, they won’t die of a heart attack that quickly. Even a human probably wouldn’t, you’ve been reading too many medical books.”

Alex manages to give her a deadpan look, effectively aiding in calming her down. “I kinda have to.”

“The point is, you know they exist now. It doesn’t matter what their intentions were, you _gotta_ respond! What’s the worst that could happen?”

 

* * *

 

Astra has since returned with her groceries, including but not limited to 5 whole crates of hot pockets. Her men seemed to appreciate them, so if she could keep them placated that way she would not think twice about it, nor would she judge them. Not vocally, anyway. She was trying to establish a more or less friendly community here, which was hard enough to work towards without such self-sabotage.

After approximately 5 years of working towards said environment it might actually pass for a semi-friendly community, albeit incredibly fragile. Astra was more than aware that the slightest disturbance could make all this collapse in on itself; one did not sustain a good environment comprised of prisoners without a massive and continuous amount of effort. It was worth it though, to make this into a home for the lot of them. The humans weren’t very receptive towards their kind, so this was the only option to take care of what remained of their sanity. For some that was, admittedly, very little.

She’s doing inventory in their massive supply room, Non working in close proximity to her, when she notices a word has appeared on top of her hand.

‘Hey’

Astra pauses, staring at the lines as if they are in a language she doesn’t understand. She does understand, of course, has known English for a long time now, even when her brain feels like she’s never even seen these shapes before.

The fact that anything appeared at all shakes her to her core: she has a soulmate. How does she have a soulmate? A human one, she assumes, no less. Why now? What is she supposed to do with a soulmate _now_ , after all this time, after she’d long given up on it?

Non notices she’s no longer being helpful, and follows her gaze to her hand. He knows what those lines mean, too. “You know you can’t leave,” he tells her.

“Why? Am I grounded, _father_?” she snips, rolling her eyes. If there’s one thing that doesn’t sit well with Astra, it’s being told what she can and can’t do; she’s had enough of that when she was younger, it’s part of why she aspired to be a general in the first place. Nobody can tell her what to do anymore. “I can travel faster than sound, I’m sure you can all manage without me for an hour.”

“You’re actually thinking of indulging them?”

That prompts her to look at him, a surge of fiery protectiveness coursing through her veins. “I’ve been miserable for decades due to my lack of soulmate, I won’t let them go through the same.” And with that, she turns to take her leave.

“Need I remind you we are married, wife?”

She doesn’t bother turning around, only instinctively tilting her head up as she shoots back, “go watch your old sci-fi movies, _husband_.”

“I’m telling you, they’re important reconnaissance!”

Shaking her head, Astra continues onwards towards her corner of Fort Rozz. Good thing she’s made a point to keep one of those ball-point pens around; they had no need for such mundane writing equipment back on Krypton, so it’s the best thing around for communication. Even to soulmates, however primitive.

For a moment she just stares at the single word on her hand, passing over the lines with her fingertips. It’s on her left hand, which must mean her soulmate is right-handed, or at least chose to use their right hand in case of them being ambidextrous, which is much less likely. The penmanship isn’t completely awful, but clearly not written by a calligrapher – or anyone who bothered with refining it as she’s observed many humans to do in order to appeal to their soulmate, to make a good first impression.

 _Hey._ It was likely to be English. Not necessarily, but most likely. At least it was a language she’d mastered already, probably unlike the person on the other side, who’d had to deal with her Kryptonese as first impression. She certainly wouldn’t have started like that if she’d known she’d get to have a soulmate, let alone have a connection right at this moment.

Astra bites her lip, the situation barely processing; she actually has a soulmate. Rao had not abandoned her after all. Or maybe this wasn’t Rao at all, maybe this was Earth’s deity having mercy on her. What was his name? Allah?

Regardless, it’s an opportunity she won’t take for granted, especially not when she is getting closer and closer to making this place into a home. So long as she keeps the stomachs of her men filled they won’t question her intentions too much. She’s managed to get them into a routine of sorts, at least.

She should answer.

Clicking the point out of the pen, Astra writes below her mate’s message: ‘ _Hello’_.

It doesn’t take long for them to respond. _‘Kryptonian huh?’_

_‘Human I presume?’_

Before an answer comes, the previous ones are erased with an ease that can only come from the specialized products humans offer. Except, of course, her own words that have been written in generic ink. She’ll have to wash those off manually.

_‘No soul ink?’_

_‘You surprised me’_.

 _‘You too, you’ve been silent’_.

 _‘As I said, you were a surprise’_.

_‘Do you have a phone?’_

Astra doesn’t have to guess what prompted that question; they’re halfway their left forearm because of her generic ink – it’s wasteful and inconvenient. But unfortunately, she does not own a phone. Before now she’s never had a need for such a primitive device.

 _‘I could come to you’_ , she proposes instead.

There’s a pause now, unlike the other immediate responses. And then, ‘ _wipe your arm, I’ll give you an address. Meet me in an hour?_ ’

_‘Alright’._

 

* * *

 

The address where they were supposed to meet turned out to be in National City, at a place called Noonan’s. Astra arrived right on time, carrying her pen with her just in case, as she has no idea on who she is meeting exactly, just that they are human. And, well, if the heartbeats are anything to go by, most if not all patrons are human.

Alex had arrived prior to her, already having taken a seat, now busy texting with Kara. _What’s the worst that could happen_ , Kara had asked, and that’s exactly what Alex had taken into account; she could be kidnapped, or assaulted, or murdered, or killed _by accident_ considering it’s a Kryptonian.

That only started to sink in once their earlier conversation ended, when she had a moment of quiet to think: her soulmate is _Kryptonian_ , just like her sister. Even through Clark she didn’t know any other Kryptonians, which likely meant they were there when Krypton exploded, and somehow survived.

Right when it’s about time, Alex looks up from her phone towards the door and immediately her eye catches on a woman in a black suit. It’s a skin-tight one-piece, combined with combat boots, something that doesn’t exactly look like typical human fashion. That, and she’s looking around like she’s looking for someone.

And then. Then their eyes meet.

Astra knows it’s her she’s looking for even without looking to see if the address is also written on her arm, a feeling ignited the moment of eye contact, a feeling she is unfamiliar with but heard of in stories about soulmates. It’s claimed to be magnetic, spark an explosion of tingles radiating from your heart throughout your veins, electrifying in a pleasant way, and now she understands. It’s exactly what they described first contact to be like.

Alex feels it too, only confirming what she already knew, especially when said woman is prompted to come right in her direction. A woman. Her soulmate is a woman. It somehow makes a lot of sense, it feels much better than the guys she’s been imagining before.

“Hey,” Alex greets when she comes close to her table, as she had done in ink before.

Catching onto it, Astra returns a “hello” right before she stops at the table, eyeing her probable soulmate. There’s a recognition that lights behind her eyes, and it’s enough confirmation for Astra to take a seat opposite her soulmate. Her unsurprisingly young-looking soulmate.

“I’m Alex.” There’s a formal temptation to extend her hand, but with both of them seated, it feels uncomfortable, so she decides against it.

“Alex,” she repeats, a small smile playing on her lips after the name leaves them. “I’m Astra.”

Alex mirrors the smile, and they spend the rest of their time getting to know each other. How long Astra spent thinking she didn’t have a soulmate, what Alex studies, some of Astra’s experiences on Krypton, some of Alex’s childhood stories and how she chose to wait for her soulmate to reach out first. It’s an altogether pleasant experience, and neither of them could be happier with the turn fate had in mind for them.

**Author's Note:**

> And They Lived Happily Ever After, and stuff, The End(?)


End file.
